In the opening lines of today’s first reading, the people said, “It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command” — sounds like today’s news: people arguing “right and left.”  Is this a reality check? Jesus was news when he walked the earth.

Compare the focus of people’s attention in Jesus’s time to our attention to the news today. How much does the news influence our lives compared to Jesus?

Some of us have memories of families praying with each other during the Great Depression and through World War II. And as our country gradually climbed out of “want” into prosperity, attitudes changed. People began to get comfortable and confident, needing each other’s support less, becoming more self-sufficient. Money changed hands instead of the work of our hands. Church going numbers started to drop, and an attitude and attention change permeated our world. Indeed, much of humankind knows no other existence.

The French Revolution, Bonaparte, and the re-establishment of the monarchy were the foundations of Father Eymard’s world; the Church was something repressed. Eymard’s love of the Eucharist, focusing on a more personal relationship with Jesus, was certainly counter-cultural. Adoration lays a foundation that calls us personally and intimately to the Body and Blood of Christ.

Father Eymard, using the focus of adoration of the Eucharist, encourages us to grow in community, whether it be in a monastery, convent, school, workplace, or home. The Eucharist does not separate us from one another but brings us together in supporting each other’s growth. He shows us that in all walks of life—ordained priests, vowed religious, and baptized believers—the Eucharist is personal and communal at all times, and is meant to be shared.

Let us pray:

Father in heaven, you have gifted us with free will, granting us freedom of choice. You gift us with your creation to explore your wonders, allowing us to play in your creation and with each other. Guide us with the knowledge and curiosity we need to glorify your name, and to assist and love our sisters and brothers as we share a path which comes to you and is obedient to your will. Amen.